Best Places to Live in Rio Without Spending A Fortune... And ``Oh yes,

It´s terribly expensive here now. Rio has the shape of a crazy anaconda.... Lots of curvy skinny parts and then that lump where she just ate a baby cow. People want to be close to Copacabana or Ipanema because that is where they hear is best from the tourism industry, but the best places to stay are farther out of town to the west. The communities of Friguesia, Barra de Tijuca, Recreio dos Bandeirantes, and Vargen Grande and Jacarepagua are what are trending now. There is construction all over the place! The buses take forever. When you want to come for a short visit you will want to see the sites, but when you want to live hear for a long time you will want the best quality of life. It is not necessary to go all the way to downtown to find a job. The biggest companies are moving their offices out of the center to Barra. Jacarepagua is where Globo Television and Record TV are located. The new Olympic Village will be constructed near the Formula One Racetrack, behind Barra on the frontage road to Vargem Grande and Vargem Pequena. If you find Pontal Do Recreio you will have found the power point...the magic pyramid... the wave that breaks right off the east side of Pontal is one of the best in the country. Start here by locating Jeronimo Telles and his surf school. It is at Pontal. After your lesson, ask him about the best places to stay... Tell him you heard it from the Gringo!